Debt is a horrible thing that anyone can easily fall into. If you don’t quickly get it under control, you could find yourself dealing with a lifelong problem that you never actually escape. Regardless how bad your debt situation currently is, you can take advantage of the following tricks to significantly put a dent in your debt and pay it off sooner.

• Create a budget and prioritise spending

By creating a budget for the month, you can prioritise your spending and minimise your expenses. By cutting your monthly expenses, you will have more money that you can put into gradually repaying your debt. You can use mobile apps such as B to effectively monitor your monthly income and expenses. Simply put, no more unnecessary spending.

• Pay off worst debts first

The worst debts aren’t necessarily the biggest ones. In fact, the worst debts and the ones you should try to get rid of first are the ones with the highest interest rates. The sooner you can get rid of your high interest rate debts, the sooner you can stop falling into worst debt.

• Pay more than the minimum balance

Debt repayment arrangements often offer the option of you paying a minimum balance per month. Paying only the minimum will slow down your debt recovery process. To get out of debt as fast as you can, pay as much as you can afford when due.

• Ignore your credit card

Even if your credit card comes with low interest rates, just put it aside until you are done with settling your debts. This is because each time you use your credit you are only accumulating more debt. So don’t take your credit cards with you when you go shopping, and if you want to be drastic, destroy your credit cards. You can start using credit cards again when you are in the green and have your finances under control.

• Put work bonuses or other cash windfalls toward debt.

If you suddenly receive a cash windfall or get a bonus at work, be wise with it and spend it on something like settling your debt. Don’t take the cheque out to celebrate or splurge because there’s nothing to actually celebrate till you are out of debt. Sudden financial windfalls can help you put a serious dent in your debt and move closer towards being clear

• Delete credit card information from online stores.

Clear your credit card information from online stores. Stored credit card information can be used to charge you for services you don’t necessarily need. Instead, shop with a debit card.

• Sell unwanted gifts and household items.

If you have gifts or other items that you don’t actually need or can do without, sell them off to raise extra cash that you can put towards settling your debt. You can sell your items conveniently via eBay or Craigslist. Remember that the faster you clear your debts, the better.

So that’s our list of tricks to help you settle your debts faster this year. But bear in mind that even if you apply these tricks diligently but fail to change your spending habits and how you view money, it won’t make much of a difference. You need to make changes by learning how to cut back on expenses without necessarily compromising the quality of lifestyle you prefer.